Chapter 36: The Child Who Won't Grow Up
Konan almost laughed aloud—from anger.
She'd seen many bizarre things, heard of all sorts of incredible ninjutsu, but this was too far-fetched.
Could it be... the other party wanted to interfere with her through this method, using this so-called future to influence her current decisions?
But the problem was—why do this?
If they truly wanted to interfere with her, many more direct, effective methods existed. Why go to such trouble infiltrating her room to leave this so-called "future journal"?
This thankless task—what meaning did it have?
Konan thought more and found it increasingly strange.
"Forget it, regardless of the other party's purpose..." She laughed coldly. "I want to see exactly what's written in this so-called 'future journal.'"
She turned to the first page.
The page was densely filled with text—handwriting neat and clear, but each stroke carried force, as if trying to pierce through the paper.
[I've inherited this journal, becoming this village's sixth leader.]
[Though called a village leader, I don't actually know what to do. I could only become leader because no one else remained here.]
[In my memory, this weeping nation only welcomed one clear day—twenty years ago when Lady Angel used countless explosive tags to blast apart the clouds. That day, I first saw the sun and rainbow. That day, everyone wept for Lady Angel.]
[I was still young then, didn't understand why the adults were all crying, didn't understand what Lord Pain's and Lady Angel's departure meant for this village, for this nation. I thought everything would continue as before.]
[Lady Angel told us about Konoha... no, that person was called Uzumaki Naruto. I remember this name because he defeated Lord Pain, earned their trust, then ended the Fourth Shinobi World War, being hailed as a hero.]
[Uzumaki Naruto promised Lady Angel that once he became Hokage, he'd definitely change the Land of Rain's status quo, bring peace to the Land of Rain.]
[After the Fourth Shinobi World War ended, the shinobi world indeed welcomed peace. The five great nations set aside grievances, worked together for development—everything flourishing. But only the Land of Rain was swept into memory's corner.]
[Uzumaki Naruto had long forgotten his promise. When the war just ended, the five great nations did send people, but facts proved they were all liars! Having lost Lord Pain and Lady Angel, the Land of Rain no longer had qualifications to dialogue with the five great nations.]
[Today, Rain Village has long become ruins. People desperate to survive left one after another. Only now do I understand.]
[For the people here, Lord Pain and Lady Angel were...]
[Hope.]
"Ridiculous!"
Konan instinctively refused to believe this journal. But thinking carefully, certain internal logic seemed self-consistent.
If she truly reached the point of using massive explosive tags, it could only mean Nagato was gone while that masked man still existed.
If Nagato was gone, she truly lacked confidence to become the new leader. Placing hope in others was possible.
Her work and ideals had always been becoming a bridge, supporting their advancement, supporting peace's arrival.
That mysterious masked man possessed immunity to attacks through space-time ninjutsu, but this ability must have some limitation. Just like her Dance of the Shikigami—once oil-stained, she couldn't freely change form, and maintaining form required continuous chakra consumption.
Based on Konan's observations, the mysterious masked man was slightly slower when transferring his own body compared to absorbing others—this might be one weakness. Moreover, his ability to freely ignore attacks definitely had time limitations. But more specifically, she had no clues.
Next was the journal's mentioned Fourth Shinobi World War—not hard to deduce.
Nagato gone, herself gone—then Akatsuki's actual controller would be the mysterious masked man. Their common goal: collecting all nine tailed beasts.
Collecting tailed beasts meant opposing the five great nations. Since Nagato would lose to Uzumaki... Naruto, it indicated they'd already developed to collecting the Nine-Tails stage.
Reaching this point, the five great nations forming a Shinobi Alliance to jointly subjugate the mysterious masked man wouldn't be surprising.
Then there was the Land of Rain reduced to ruins...
Konan closed her eyes. She could imagine—without power, how could one have dialogue qualifications? But... why would the future Nagato choose to trust Uzumaki Naruto? Just because he lost?
Absolutely not that simple.
After organizing her thoughts, Konan turned to the second page. Here, she found her answer.
[Today is... I've forgotten. Though this is a journal, I don't remember to write every day.]
[Hyuga Kiyonari, I'll forever remember this name.]
[He was the first person from the five great nations who didn't carry an umbrella, the first to sit in mud puddles with me in the rain and chat. Also my first friend from the five great nations.]
[As a Konoha ninja, he narrated many "truths" to me. Though I lack ability to discern true from false, I think the Land of Rain has nothing left he'd covet.]
[The Akatsuki led by Lord Pain failed. During the process of capturing the Nine-Tails, he lost to Uzumaki Naruto—the Nine-Tails jinchuriki who was also his fellow apprentice.]
[But Hyuga Kiyonari said Lord Pain... no, should call him Nagato—actually lost to himself, lost to his teenage self.]
[He saw his own shadow in Uzumaki Naruto, saw more resolute conviction than his own, so chose to entrust the future to him. And to sever the chain of hatred, Nagato used a certain jutsu to resurrect all Konoha villagers who died in this battle.]
"Resurrection... that jutsu, the Rinnegan's jutsu."
Konan's pupils constricted sharply, her heart beginning to waver.
Unless someone understood the Rinnegan sufficiently, they couldn't possibly know this jutsu existed. But if this person understood the Rinnegan so well, why go to such trouble to deceive her?
And Nagato's name...
She continued reading.
[Hyuga Kiyonari told me Uzumaki Naruto wasn't a qualified Hokage. His dream, rather than becoming Hokage, was more like becoming a hero.]
[After the Fourth Shinobi World War ended, the shinobi world indeed welcomed peace. Uzumaki Naruto finally obtained the recognition he'd dreamed of, becoming the hero who broke hatred's shackles—beloved by all.]
[But after he fulfilled his wish of becoming Seventh Hokage, he always enjoyed participating in various TV programs, news interviews, and grand opening ribbon-cutting ceremonies.]
[I finally understand—Uzumaki Naruto is a child, a child who won't grow up.]
[Because children's ideals are always so naive, pure, and attractive. Those exhausted adults beaten by reality, upon seeing children, unilaterally believe they'll have more beautiful futures than themselves.]
[But if a child can't take that first step, they'll never become an adult.]
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